WP-API Lovers, it’s been too long…

Hi everybody, remember us? After a long downtime between actual posts, we figured it was time to clue you in on what’s been happening in the wonderful world of the REST API. Here’s our recap of the goings on.

Version 1.2

The astute among you will have noticed we recently released version 1.2 of the API. If you’re not using it already, you’re missing out on Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) support, new actions and filters to support hijacking requests (for things like caching), and a tonne of bug fixes. Our thanks go out to all 29 (!!!) contributors to this release, and to Brian Krogsgard for our fantastic new plugin header.

It’s also with a little bit of sadness and a lot of excitement that we announce 1.2 will be the final major release for the 1.x branch. While version 1 has served us well, it’s time to move on to better things and prepare the project for core integration. Version 2 is well underway, and we’re hoping to have a beta out in the next month or so.

Version 1.9?

As @rachelbaker mentioned in the release post for 1.2, there’ll actually be another almost-release on the 1.x branch. From the start of the project, I’ve always pledged compatibility with whatever goes in to core. Our almost-release will be a final-final release on the v1 branch, with no new features or bug fixes, but instead removing the internals of the version 1 code and hooking them up to version 2.

This will allow existing code to work essentially forever into the future, using the version 1 interface around the version 2 implementation. Bug fixes on version 2 should then also be carried down to the version 1 code.

I’ve taken to calling this shim Version 1.9, although it may not end up as that in the end. Whatever the case, this won’t be counted as a full version 1 release, as it will only be a wrapper around version 2. We do, however, plan to have full backwards compatibility as with every other release.

Version 2

Version 2 is under pretty heavy development right now. For those not familiar, this is the non-backwards-compatible edition of the API intended specifically for core integration. Version 2 is unlikely to ever have a full standalone release, however we’re planning on releasing betas on the lead up to core merge.

Note that while version 2 isn’t backwards compatible with version 1, it is an iteration on v1, so the API will be both inwardly and outwardly familiar to anyone using v1. We’re following a policy of not changing things purely for the sake of it, so the eventual version will be easy to adapt to for anyone using it now.

So far, our core focus has been around two key elements: extensibility, and consistency. We’ve refactored and rearchitectured a fair chunk of the core endpoints to make them more easily reusable, as well as ensuring that our core endpoints all follow a similar structure to make them easier to learn. As part of this, we’ve also introduced better support for common tasks like checking permissions, as well as changing the way endpoints interface with the infrastructure. One key change is that endpoints now receive only a single Request object parameter (modeled after PSR-7, for those keeping count). This means that parameter registration has moved out of the function signature and up to the endpoint registration instead.

We’re also working on making requests and responses consistent across the board, including swapping our dodgy filter parameters out for better supported querying. Fields are being renamed across the board (albeit not without careful consideration first) to make it easier to learn and use the API, as well as helping clients be more robust. Internal linking is also changing to match the HAL specification, along with support for “embedding” related requests. This is designed to help mobile clients and similar avoid excessive round-trips, but does come with the cost of larger response bodies, but we’ve made this up to client authors to decide and calculate the tradeoffs.

We also occasionally replace these meetings with voice and video meetings on Google Hangouts, depending on availability and agenda. In these cases, we’ll post the hangout link in the channel at the start of the hour. Everyone is welcome to join and listen in or participate, but please appreciate the limited amount of time and energy we have for these meetings.

Danke

Thank you again to all the wonderful people who make this API possible, including but not limited to the amigos (Rachel, Daniel, and Joe), our core team minders (Gary, Dion, and nacin, among others), lovable lurkers (Demitrious), everyone speaking about the API (I don’t know how Jack Lenox gets anything else done), our wonderful publicists journalists (Brian and Sarah), and everyone else. And you, especially you. ❤

We’re also opening this comment thread for any thoughts, feedback, feelings, or otherwise that you’d like to post. If there’s something you want to tell us or talk about, here’s the opportunity to do so.

I haven’t even touched the API yet, but I amm excited about it. The ability to seamlessly interact with WordPress core without actually being directly integrated into it will be an awesome thing. Good luck with version 2.0 🙂